Tuesday was much hotter than the first round on Saturday, putting riders to the test with an already physically demanding track at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Cooper showed strength straight away and topped every session, earning the fastest qualifier honors for the sixth time this season. He didn’t get the start he was looking for in his heat race but charged back from fifth to take the lead on the final lap. The New Yorker got a much better start in the Main Event behind his teammate Thrasher and quickly passed him for the lead. Unfortunately, the race was red-flagged after two laps, resulting in a complete restart.
Despite the second start not going as smoothly as the first with more riders in the mix, Thrasher was able to grab the holeshot, with Cooper once again quickly moving to the front. He put his head down and built a comfortable gap on the competition, crossing the line with a seven-second lead. With three rounds remaining, Cooper holds a nine-point advantage in the championship.
Fresh off of his first career win in the pro ranks, Thrasher got his day off to a solid start, qualifying sixth and finishing third in his heat race. The rookie came out swinging with two stellar starts in the red-flagged main and was holding down the runner-up spot behind his teammate for the first three laps. He was passed with three laps to go and battled for the final podium spot but ultimately had to settle for fourth.
After a tough first round in Atlanta and not qualifying for the Main Event, Frye got off to a good start with his best qualifying result thus far in his debut season, sitting eighth on the timesheets. He got a good start in his heat but unfortunately crashed early in the race. Another good start in the LCQ delivered better results and he was able to bring home the win. With a short turnaround between the two races, the 20-year-old lined up for the Main Event but didn’t have much energy left for the longer than usual 250 race and finished 16th.
The Monster Energy Star Yamaha Racing team returns this Saturday, April 17, for the final round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross tripleheader at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
